


Love and (Cupcake) War

by emynn (orphan_account)



Series: Love and (Cupcake) War [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-09
Updated: 2012-05-09
Packaged: 2017-11-14 20:50:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/519387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/emynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry loves his cupcake shop. But when Severus opens his own cupcake shop right across the street, it's war ... and there's more than just professional pride at stake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love and (Cupcake) War

**Title:** Love and (Cupcake) War  
 **Author:** [](http://emynn.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**emynn**](http://emynn.dreamwidth.org/)  
 **Other pairings/threesome:** I only know Snarry. Oh and Ron/Hermione, I suppose.  
 **Rating:** NC-17  
 **Word count:** 17,800  
 **Content/Warning(s):** (highlight for spoilers) * EWE and an abundance of sweets.*  
 **Prompt:** #134 - Two words: Cupcake Wars!  
 **Summary:** Harry loves his cupcake shop. But when Severus opens his own cupcake shop right across the street, it's war ... and there's more than just professional pride at stake.  
 **A/N:** My eternal thanks to LLP for being there every step of the way, for the constant hand-holding, and for the beta. I have no idea what I would do without you. *smooches* Thank you to the mods for continuing to hold this fabulous fest and for being so lovely with me. Viva la Snarry!

 

  
** Love and (Cupcake) War **  


There was absolutely nothing in the world that compared to stepping into a cupcake shop first thing in the morning.

It was barely a quarter past five, and the sun had not yet even given thought to rising, but Harry couldn’t suppress a smile as he unlocked the door to his shop. There were some who felt the smell of sweet treats baking in the oven was the trademark of a good bakery, and while that was quite naturally sublime as well, to Harry, _this_ was what was magical. The light scent of flour and vanilla and cocoa and the promise and potential of what was to come … it was utterly exciting and addictive.

After locking the door behind him (he had learned the hard way that although his shop didn’t open until eleven, customers would walk in as early as nine to get their sweet fix for the day if the door wasn’t secured), Harry pulled an apron on and began to gather his ingredients. He and his assistant, Margot, would bake fresh cupcakes every hour once the shop opened, but he always liked to get the first batch in the oven himself.

He paused, staring at the eggs, butter, and sugar on the table before him, and took in the day. There was a certain freshness in the air, a sweet, light feeling that the coming sunlight would bring not only a new day, but a new beginning.

Harry smiled. He knew just the thing.

He was carefully placing a fresh strawberry on top of each cupcake when he heard the door open. He looked up and waved to Margot as she walked in. “Morning,” he said. “Mind grabbing the confectioners’ sugar for me?”

Margot set down her purse and handed Harry the container of confectioners’ sugar. “Strawberry cupcakes in teacups? I thought you said they were impractical last time.”

Harry shrugged and began to cover the baked goods with a dusting of sugar. “I saw the strawberry preserves you made yesterday and couldn’t resist. Besides, I thought we could open early today. Looks like it’s going to be a nice day.”

“It is,” Margot agreed. She grabbed her favourite apron, a bright pink one with yellow polka dots, off a hook in the corner and tied it around her neck. “The forecast looks beautiful. And so did that man I bumped into as I came in.” She gave Harry a wink. “Blond hair, piercing blue eyes, but seems more your type than mine. I think he’s one of the ones moving into that shop across the street.”

Harry nodded. “I thought I saw people moving furniture in.”

“Like I believe that,” Margot said with a laugh. “I know how you get in the morning. I bet you didn’t look up from your mixing bowl once.”

Harry didn’t have a response to that. It was true. For him, there was no better way to wake up in the morning than mixing together simple ingredients to create something delicious. It was relaxing and invigorating all at once, and on more than one occasion he hadn’t even noticed Margot come inside in the morning.

“Make yourself useful, will you?” Harry said. “Tray these up and put a warming charm on them. Then I was thinking – ”

“Starting off with fresh raspberry, lemon meringue, vanilla almond, and, almond, and wait, wait ... don't tell me, the pistachio cupcakes with that tangy lime frosting you love so much?”

“Cheeky,” Harry said, and went to grab another mixing bowl. “But yes. How did you know?”

“After nearly four years working together, I think I’ve picked up on a few things,” Margot said with a fond grin. “I can tell when you get in these moods.”

Four years. Harry couldn’t believe it had been that long. He had purchased this shop on a whim, not even entirely sure what he was going to do with it. Despite the voice inside his head nagging him to turn it into a cupcake shop, he had resisted for three weeks as he sat in the middle of the gleaming hardwood floor. Cupcakes had a … complicated place in his heart, and he was concerned that the part that was tinged with sadness would ruin the joy he got from opening his own business. In the end, he decided that it was worth the risk. Despite it all, he loved cupcakes, his customers loved cupcakes, and he loved seeing people’s faces as they enjoyed the cupcakes he baked. That far outweighed any lingering regrets he had that, for whatever reason, centred on a single vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting.

Of course, there was the fact that he was not a professional baker and operated primarily on the philosophy “that tastes good, perhaps I should add a dash more.” That’s where Margot came in. She had simply shown up the first day he opened, her blue eyes glittering with excitement as she took in the shop, and offered her services on the spot. Her mother was a pastry chef who worked for the French Minister of Magic and had taught her everything she knew. Harry had hired her immediately and never looked back. They made a great team.

“Well, that’s that,” Margot said. As usual after she had been baking for more than an hour, her cheeks were smeared with streaks of flour. “Ten dozen cupcakes to start the day and two more batches ready to go, thirty minutes before we’re supposed to open. Want to do it anyway?”

Harry nodded and went to unlock the door. A few people seated on the nearby benches immediately stood up and hurried towards the shop. Harry grinned.

“Welcome to The Cupcakery.”

* * * * *

  
The day started out busy and stayed busy. By lunchtime they had already sold out of all their original cupcakes and were onto their next dozen batches. Harry reluctantly took over manning the front so he could put Margot on baking duty. While he enjoyed conversing with his customers, he felt much more at peace in the kitchen. However, Margot was admittedly much faster at baking than he was. He had a tendency to get distracted by all the ingredients and his desire to experiment with new flavours. That was fine on a slow day, but on a day as busy as this one he couldn’t risk turning out a bad batch and wasting that time. Perhaps he’d have to hire some additional help soon. He and Margot made a great team, but they could certainly use some additional hands around the place.

“Almond cupcakes are cooling now,” Margot said, coming out to set down a tray of red velvet cupcakes. “What kind of frosting do you think? Green tea, raspberry cream cheese, or salted caramel buttercream?”

“Salted caramel,” Harry answered immediately. “I wasn’t thrilled with the green tea last time and I think we have enough berry variations out right now.”

“Smart, I’ll bring them out in a minute.” She moved to head back to the kitchen but paused. “Look over there, standing by the door,” she whispered. “That’s the man I was telling you about, who works at the new store. Handsome, isn’t he?”

Harry surreptitiously glanced over at the man. Handsome was putting it mildly. The man could have been Gilderoy Lockhart’s brother. That made him decidedly _not_ Harry’s type, but still, there was no denying that he was an incredibly handsome man. He was impeccably dressed in charcoal robes and appeared to be jotting down notes on a small pad.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Well, I’ll leave you to charm the pants off him,” Margot said with a pat to his shoulder. “He’d be great to have as a regular. You know he’d be here all the time since he works right across the way, and we’d get to ogle him. Win-win.”

Harry laughed and rolled his eyes. That was Margot through and through – a shameless flirt and a shrewd businesswoman, all rolled into one.

The man seemed to be taking in his surroundings. Harry typically enjoyed witnessing customers’ first encounters in his shop. He had worked hard to make the shop feel less like a store and more like a home. It was why the tables, while similar in style, were not identical, why the lighting was warm but never overly bright, and why he avoided the usual cutesy decorations that accompanied cupcake shops. It was also why he kept the baking area exposed, albeit shielded by a cooling shield, so the customers could see him and Margot creating their cupcakes from scratch. To Harry, cupcakes were all about warmth and comfort, and he wanted to make sure his shop reflected that.

Most customers, when they first walked in, smiled. Often times Harry could see them literally sigh in relief as they escaped the stress and tediousness of their everyday lives and enjoyed a few minutes of nostalgic, innocent comfort.

But this man had a slight frown on his face.

“May I help you?” Harry called out.

The man looked up and began moving closer to Harry. Margot was right – his eyes were a stunning blue-violet that Harry had seen on very few people. Still entirely not his type, but Harry had no doubt the man was never short on admirers.

“Do you have a menu?” the man asked. He had a distinct Irish accent.

Harry shook his head. “No, we serve different cupcakes every day, and even then it’s so many different varieties that it would be difficult to keep track of what’s out. It all just depends on our moods and what ingredients are fresh.”

The man’s lip curled slightly. “And this … inconsistent approach has worked well for you?”

“I wouldn’t call it inconsistent,” Harry said, struggling to keep his voice light. “Our aim is to always serve the freshest cupcakes, and there’s no need for us to force ourselves to conform to a menu that doesn’t suit our needs. Our customers enjoy the variety and that every time they come in there is something new to try. It helps establish that our establishment is more of an extension of a home than a storefront.”

“How … quaint.”

Harry frowned. The man was back to scribbling in his notebook. “Are you with the _Prophet_ , Mister …”

“Kelly,” the man said. He made a final note and closed the pad. “Landon Kelly. And no. I simply work at the new shop across the way.”

“Ah,” Harry said, and forced a smile back on his face. He held out his hand. “Harry Potter. I’m the owner of The Cupcakery.”

“I’ve gathered,” Kelly said, and took Harry’s hand.

“Won’t you have a cupcake?” Harry asked. He definitely didn’t like this man, but perhaps once he tasted one of their cupcakes he would be a bit more pleasant. Or at least leave them alone. “On the house, of course. Think of it as a welcome to the neighbourhood present.”

Landon nodded. “Thank you. Something light, but no fruit. I noticed most of your customers seem to be enjoying some type of berry concoction.”

“Well, it’s been the first day of really pleasant weather in a while,” Harry said. “Light cupcakes with fresh fruit seemed appropriate. But we have some without fruit as well. How about a honey and lavender cupcake? They’re quite popular.” He grabbed a plate and set the cupcake on it. “It has honey and cream cheese frosting. Sweet, but not too sweet.”

Kelly took the plate and took a small bite. “Hmm,” he said.

Harry waited.

“Thank you, Mister Potter,” Kelly said. He took another small bite of the cupcake. “This has been most enlightening. Do you have a box? I would like to take this back to my boss to enjoy. He has quite the sweet tooth.”

“Of course,” Harry said, reaching for a box. “But wouldn’t he like one of his own?”

“Perhaps,” Kelly nodded. “He prefers chocolate. I realize that might not go with today’s theme.”

“We always have chocolate on hand,” Harry said. He settled on a chocolate turtle cupcake and began packaging it with the half-finished honey and lavender one. “This should satisfy his sweet tooth. Chocolate cake with caramel filling, topped with caramel buttercream with brown sugar pecans, and then drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce. It’s a best-seller.”

“All made from scratch?” Kelly asked.

“Down to the caramel,” Harry confirmed. He handed the box to Kelly. “Enjoy.”

“Thank you,” Kelly said. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.”

Harry watched as Kelly left the shop, attracting the attention of all the witches in the shop and several of the wizards. Yes, he very likely would be seeing more of Kelly. He just didn’t think that was a good thing.

* * * * *

  
“What kind of shop do you think it is?” Margot asked as she locked the door that evening. “I barely had a chance to spy on them, we were so busy today.”

“Something you are devastated about, I know.” Harry used his wand to sanitize a table. “But I don’t know. I heard one of the customers say it was called Alchemy, but that could be anything.”

“True.” Margot headed back towards the baking area to tackle the dirty dishes and pans. “Whatever it is, I hope it lasts a long time. That man is gorgeous. Did you catch his name?”

“Landon Kelly,” Harry said. “And he’s a right berk.”

Margot sighed. “The attractive ones usually are. You being the exception, of course, but I know I don’t stand a chance there.”

“Sorry,” Harry said with a slight laugh. “But you know, if I liked women you’d be the first one I’d go to.”

“Well, that’s a flat out lie, but thank you,” Margot said. “Speaking of, I’ve been meaning to ask you. How was your date this weekend?”

Harry shrugged. “Not bad. Can’t complain.”

Margot raised an eyebrow. “But?”

“Just didn’t feel anything,” Harry said. “Don’t get me wrong. David’s a nice bloke, and he did nothing at all to make me not want see him again. It’s just that he also did nothing to make me want _to_ see him again.”

“Well, you know, no first date is perfect,” Margot said. “And as long as you’re still carrying your torch for what’s-his-name, the snake man …”

“Severus Snape,” Harry said quickly. And he was fast regretting ever telling Margot that story. It was such a non-event, but Margot, in all her infinite wisdom on life and love, had somehow managed to pin it down as the root of all his problems. At least, all his problems related to his social life.

“Right,” Margot said. “Severus. So long as you continue holding him as the great romance of your life, you’re never going to be satisfied with another man.”

“He wasn’t my great romance,” Harry said with an exasperated sigh. The tables now sparkling clean, he set about straightening the chairs. “He wasn’t even a romance. It was just a … a moment.”

“Almost lovers can often lead to the greatest heartaches,” Margot said. She spelled the clean dishes to go back into their places in the cupboards. “You’re always left wondering what if.”

“That may be true, but that’s not the case here,” Harry insisted.

“Hermione agrees with me,” Margot said smugly. “She told me so after your date with that writer last month.”

Harry rolled his eyes. Margot and Hermione together made an incredible force to be reckoned with. The last thing he needed was them agreeing on why he had no love life. He was actually surprised Hermione hadn’t said anything. He supposed it might be her pregnancy distracting her.

“Listen, Margot, I appreciate your concern. But you’re really blowing this entirely out of proportion. Even if I had given in and kissed him, who’s to say it would have gone anywhere? More than likely he would have hexed my bollocks off.”

“Hermione said – ”

“Hermione doesn’t know everything,” Harry said. “And she certainly doesn’t know Severus.”

“Fine, fine,” Margot said. She untied her apron and hung it up on its hook. “Although I have to say, I’m rather upset I let my mother convince me to go to Beauxbatons. I missed out on getting to know this sexy mystery almost lover of yours.”

Harry snorted. “Believe me, most students at Hogwarts would envy you for that very reason.”

“Students never like their professors,” Margot said dismissively. “All done cleaning up?”

Harry nodded. “Good to go. See you bright and early tomorrow.”

“I have the cocoa and amaretto already prepped,” she said.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “How do you know what I’m going to want to bake tomorrow?”

A light smile played at her lips. “You always bake a vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting and an amaretto cupcake the day after we talk about your snake man.”

Harry sighed. She really did know him too well.

* * * * *

  
A week later, when the “Now Open” sign went up at the new shop across the street, Harry came to a decision. This Kelly character might be a right berk, but he was his neighbour, and they should at least have an amicable working relationship. And what did neighbours do? They went to congratulate them on their opening day.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Harry said to Margot when their after-lunch crowd had died down. “I’m just going to say hello to the bloke at Alchemy. Send a Patronus if you need me.”

“Say hello to him for me too,” Margot called after him.

Harry rolled his eyes but waved his hand in acknowledgment. Honestly, it was a wonder the woman was still single with the way her mind was focused on men all the time.

When he opened the door to Alchemy, Harry immediately felt underdressed. It appeared to be a restaurant, with dark wood tables and sleek chairs, and was as elegant as Kelly had been dressed the other day. The room was painted mostly in neutral tones, but there were pops of a warm orange that somehow looked chic instead of tacky. One wall was constructed of rustic stones that made Harry think of Tuscany, and another held scores of bottles of wine. Pendant lights encased in a geometric silver pattern cast the room in a warm glow. It somehow appeared both hip and sophisticated. Harry wasn’t sure what he felt about that.

“Welcome to Alchemy,” came a smooth voice. Kelly stepped out from a corner. “How may I help you, Mister Potter?”

Harry plastered a smile upon his face. Absence had clearly made the heart grow fonder, for as soon as he saw Kelly in the flesh again, he was reminded of how much of a pretentious berk he was. “Just wanted to wish you well on your opening.”

“Thank you,” Kelly said.

“I see it’s a bit quiet,” Harry said, looking around. The place was entirely empty. “I’m sure it’ll fill out soon enough.”

“Oh, most assuredly,” Kelly said. “We rely mainly on word of mouth. And once word gets out, I’m sure we will have to turn people away at the door.”

Harry nodded politely. “What is it exactly that you sell?”

“How rude of me,” Kelly said. He reached for a menu and handed it to Harry. “Please, pick any item on the menu. It will be Alchemy’s treat to you for your warm hospitality.”

Harry opened the menu and skimmed the contents. “This is your menu?” he asked with a frown.

“I know it goes against your vision for your shop,” Kelly said, “but here, we have found it to be quite useful. We keep it simple and unadorned, to prevent the customers from being overwhelmed.”

Well, it was certainly simple. Harry was greeted by a simple list: black, white, red, cream, yellow, and tan, to be precise. “I’m just supposed to pick one?” he asked.

“Generally, that’s the way a menu works,” Kelly said dryly.

Harry shrugged and handed it back to Kelly. “Black then, I suppose.”

“An excellent choice. One moment.”

“What exactly is it that I ordered,” Harry called out as Kelly ducked into a back room. There was no answer, but a moment later Kelly returned with his gift.

A cupcake.

Harry felt his mouth go dry. He felt even more faint when Kelly ushered him to a table and set the cupcake down in front of him.

“Our devil’s food cupcake,” Kelly said, handing Harry a fork and a linen napkin. “Topped with our chocolate ganache frosting and a single dark chocolate curl.”

Harry took a moment to prepare himself, very aware of Kelly’s gaze on him. Unable to put it off any longer, he cut into the cupcake with his fork and took a bite.

“Oh God,” he moaned. He was immediately embarrassed. The sound he made he usually didn’t share with another individual unless they were naked and rubbing against each other. To make those kinds of noises in front of Kelly, and over a _cupcake_ of all things, was humiliating.

“Delicious, isn’t it?” Kelly said. Harry didn’t look up, but he could hear the smug smile in his voice. “I’m sure you’re aware of the debate over the origin of the name of the cake. Some say it’s because it’s so decadent. Others say it’s because it’s … _tempting_.”

Harry took another bite in an attempt to avoid having to answer Kelly, who was standing just close enough to Harry to make him uncomfortable. That was a colossal mistake. One more bite of the cupcake had him groaning and shifting in his seat. He felt his face burn in embarrassment.

“Would you like a glass of wine to go with your cupcake, Mister Potter?” Kelly asked. “Perhaps a nice Malbec? It will bring out the mocha undertones of the cake.”

Harry shook his head. “I have to get back to work,” he said, relieved at that realization. “Do you bake these?”

Kelly laughed. “Not likely. I’m strictly in charge of the ambience – marketing, décor, manning the storefront. I would never step foot in the kitchen.”

“Of course not,” Harry said. That at least made him feel a bit better. It would have rankled Harry to know that Kelly, in his pristine, form-fitting robes and twinkling violet-blue eyes was a better baker than him. Perhaps the actual baker was less of a berk. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood up. “Could I meet the baker? I’d like to pass on my regards.”

“He is _very_ busy at the moment,” Kelly said. “A master such as he has little time to mingle with the crowds.”

“I’m hardly a crowd,” Harry noted. “I promise, I’d only take a moment.”

“I don’t think Mister –”

“That’s enough, Mister Kelly.”

Harry froze. He hadn’t expected to hear that voice again, and certainly not in a cupcake shop. Not in the cupcake shop right across the way from him. It couldn’t be.

Severus Snape stepped out of the back room and Harry felt his knees go weak. He gripped the back of his chair, desperate for any support.

“You?” Harry asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“Yes, me.” Severus turned to Kelly. “A moment, please.”

Kelly smiled, the first wide smile Harry had seen on him. It made his stomach churn. “But only a moment,” Kelly said. He rubbed Severus’s arm in a familiar way. “We have a great deal to do today.” With a slight wave at Harry, he disappeared into the back room.

Harry was quite certain he looked like a fish out of water with his mouth hanging open, but he didn’t care at the moment. He was too busy taking in the sight of Severus again. He looked good, dressed in formfitting grey trousers and a crisp white shirt and his hair pulled away from his face. Then again, Harry thought he looked pretty good the last time he saw him four years ago. Of course, back then Harry thought it was possibly just because he was feeling melancholy and sentimental and lonely. But now? No, Severus just looked _good_. And he owned a _cupcake_ shop. A million thoughts were running through his mind, but they all were centred squarely on Severus and cupcakes.

“You wanted to see me, Mister Potter?”

Harry snapped out of his daze. “You called me Harry before.”

“Ah,” Severus said. “I didn’t realize I retained the liberty of using your first name.”

Harry frowned. It wasn’t as if he and Severus had ever been best friends, or even just friends. There had only been that one day of something that was more than civility that seemed to hint at something more. But now with the way Severus was looking at him, Harry was beginning to think he had imagined the entire thing. “Can I still call you Severus?”

“If you like.”

“Great. Thanks.” Harry forced himself to maintain eye contact with Severus. He was a grown man now and there was no reason for him to be intimidated, or even thrown at all by Severus’s indifference. “I was surprised to see you opened a cupcake shop. I don’t know if Kelly told you, but I own the one just across the way.”

“I’ve heard,” Severus said, and crossed his arms over his chest. “The cupcake Landon brought over yesterday was quite good.”

“Thanks,” Harry said. “But I have to ask. Why cupcakes? You said you’d never even had a cupcake until…” His voice trailed off. He didn’t know how to act around this Severus. Granted, he was more polite than the Severus who was his teacher, but that wasn’t the man Harry thought of whenever he called him to mind. He thought of the Severus who enjoyed walking through the snow and then sitting in front of the fire drinking cocoa as they talked the night away. The one who … Harry shook his head. He couldn’t think about that now. Not until he knew how to handle this stranger standing in front of him.

“I am an entrepreneur,” Severus interjected. “I kept up with the trends and noticed that cupcakes were rising in popularity. I had grown tired of my potions business and wanted to try something new. Ergo, the cupcake shop.”

“Potions and cupcakes aren’t exactly the same thing,” Harry said.

“They have more similarities than you’d realize,” Severus replied. “Both are exact sciences. But instead of experimenting by stirring the potion counter-clockwise four times and clockwise twice, I experiment by mixing the batter by hand the same way. You replace moonstone with butter, bubotuber pus with baking powder. They are the same game. My recipes are as detailed and annotated as any old textbook of mine.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Harry said. “It’s not really the way I bake.”

“Oh, Merlin. You’re one of the ‘a pinch of this, a dash of that’ types, aren’t you?” He sounded scandalized at the very thought.

Harry grinned. “More or less. I just do what feels right.”

For the first time since entering the shop, something flickered in his eyes that reminded Harry of the Severus he remembered. It was gone in a second. “As always, I suppose.”

Harry shrugged. “Yeah.” He glanced down at his watch. “Well, I should get back. I told Margot I wouldn’t be long.”

“Margot?” There was something in Severus’s inflection that made Harry feel this was not simply a casual question asking to clarify a name.

“My assistant,” he said quickly. “She’s not … she’s just my assistant.”

“There’s no need to explain yourself,” Severus said. “I, too, have an … assistant.”

Harry’s face burned. Part of him wanted to protest and insist that Margot truly was just an employee and a friend, but what difference did it make? Severus and his assistant clearly had a different relationship than he and Margot did, if Kelly’s display was any indication. And besides, it wasn’t like he even meant anything to Severus. And that was fine, because he wasn’t expecting or hoping for anything anyway.

“Right,” Harry said. “Your cupcake was delicious. Thanks. I suppose I’ll see you around?”

“I suppose you shall,” Severus said. And then, with a curt nod to Harry, he turned and disappeared into the back room.

* * * * *

  
“It’s awful,” Harry groaned into his hands. “I pass him every bloody day and he barely even looks at me.”

“Well, this is Snape we’re talking about,” Hermione said. She handed Harry a hot cup of tea, which he took gratefully. “I know the two of you had your _moment_ , but that doesn’t change his personality. He’s not a nice man.”

“But he _was_!” Harry insisted. He lifted his head up and looked at his friends. Well, at least Hermione appeared sympathetic. Ron, on the other hand, was looking at him as if he were mental. “I know it’s hard to believe, but that one day – ”

“It’s not that we don’t believe you,” Hermione said gently. Ron opened his mouth, but she cast him a warning glare. “I’m sure that for whatever reason Snape and you did really connect that day. But that was one day out of how many? His personality just doesn’t lend itself to being sociable.”

Harry sighed. “I know. I just thought …”

“You built him up in your head,” Hermione said, rubbing his shoulders. “He was your hero. Of course you would want him to like you.”

“You make me sound like a thirteen-year-old girl,” Harry muttered.

“I don’t know why you’re so upset, mate,” Ron said. “You went from Snape hating you to Snape having nothing to do with you, to one day of Snape being uncharacteristically nice, back to Snape having nothing to do with you … what difference does it make that now he’s across the street having nothing to do with you? It’s only geography.”

“Yes, but before when he had nothing to do with me it was because he was off travelling the world looking for potions ingredients,” Harry said. “It was nothing to do with me personally. Now he’s just outright ignoring me.”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I doubt he’ll be in business very long,” Ron said with a smirk. “Come on. Snape and cupcakes? It’s impossible to say the two words together without laughing.”

“But they’re good,” Harry said. “That’s the worst part. They’re fucking delicious. Better than sex cupcakes.”

“Well, there’s your problem right there,” Ron said, clapping Harry’s shoulder. “Once you start comparing cupcakes to sex, it’s clear it’s been too long since you’ve had a shag. What you need is a night out.”

Harry felt his face burn. While that might very well be true, he didn’t need Ron reminding him. “Well, it’s getting to be a problem. He’s only been open for a week and I’ve already seen a decrease in customers.”

“It’s just a novelty,” Hermione said. “They see something new and exotic and they have to give it a try. They’ll all return to you soon. They love you.”

“I don’t want them to return because they love me,” Harry said. “I want them to return because they love my cupcakes. And my shop. I worked hard to make The Cupcakery what it is, and then Snape just waltzes in with his prissy, perfect loverboy assistant and takes over.”

“Wait, Snape is fucking his assistant?” Ron asked. A loud thud made Harry think Hermione had kicked him under the table. Ron winced.

“Let’s get back to the issue at hand,” Hermione said. “Harry, what is it exactly that you want?”

“I want The Cupcakery to be the only shop people go to for cupcakes,” Harry said immediately. But then another thought occurred to him. “Well, maybe not. Just the only one in the area. I don’t want to put Severus out of a job, of course. That wouldn’t be on.”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Yeah, we get that. Snape the cupcake king.”

“And what else, Harry?” Hermione asked, rather pointedly not looking at Ron. “And be honest. We’re your friends. You can trust us.”

Harry looked down at his mug. “I don’t want Severus to ignore me anymore.”

Hermione grasped his hand. “Is that all?”

“No,” Harry admitted with a sigh. “But that’s all I can hope for at the moment. You all were right. I was carrying a torch for him and now look what happened. I just can’t take that again.”

“Harry James Potter,” Hermione said. “Who do you think you are?”

Harry’s head shot up. Even seven months pregnant, Hermione could be rather intimidating when she was angry. And given the rather alarming shade of red her face was turning, she was pretty angry. “Hermione?”

“The Harry I know doesn’t back down from a challenge,” she said. “And he certainly doesn’t mope around feeling sorry for himself because _Snape_ of all people isn’t paying him enough attention.”

“But Hermione,” Harry said. “Didn’t you hear me? He’s with somebody else.”

She rolled her eyes with such force Harry was surprised they didn’t pop out of her head. “Do you honestly believe Snape would be with somebody like that? Do you think he would tolerate somebody who was that self-absorbed?”

“I don’t know,” Ron said. “We always wondered about him and Malfoy.”

“Ronald!” Hermione shouted. “If you have something useful to contribute, you can talk. Otherwise I’ll thank you to keep quiet.”

Ron slumped back in his seat.

“For whatever reason, you want Snape,” Hermione said. She gripped Harry’s arm and forced him to look into her eyes. “And you want your shop. So why don’t you stand up and do something about it?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know,” Hermione said, throwing her hands up in the air. “Maybe what you did all through your time at Hogwarts: get him to pay attention. Merlin. _Men_.” Her eyes welled up with tears. “Ron, our baby’s going to grow up to be a _man_.”

Ron stood up from his chair to comfort his wife. “It’ll be okay,” he said, awkwardly patting her back. “She’s been like this for the last few weeks,” he explained to Harry. “Furious one minute, bawling the next. The Healers say it’s normal, but, dear Merlin I hope it ends soon.”

“I’m sorry, Harry,” Hermione said with a wet sniff. “It’s just that I love you and I hate it when you’re unhappy.”

“I know, love,” Harry said. He gave Hermione a reassuring smile. “And I appreciate it. How would you like a cupcake tomorrow as a thank you gift?”

“Can you make it the German chocolate kind?” she asked.

“Sure,” Harry said. “But I thought your favourite was the chocolate mint?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Mint makes me sick.”

“Noted,” Harry said. He turned to Ron. “Anything for you?”

Ron shrugged. “You know me. Anything you’ve got left over. Except for that odd vegan one you made. Something was just wrong with that one.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a bit of work to do with those,” Harry admitted. He stood up and grabbed his cloak. “Well, I should be off. Thanks for dinner and everything.”

Hermione may have been hormonal, but she did have a point. He hadn’t gotten to where he was today by sitting around in a pool of self-pity. He was stubborn, and he always put up a good fight. Why would this be any exception just because it was Severus? Hell, back when he was a student, that would have been _more_ incentive.

And now, it _definitely_ was additional incentive. Because Harry didn’t care how Severus was acting now. He knew that they had a chance for something special, and he wasn’t about to let Severus get out of it just because he didn’t want to socialize. He would get him to sit up and take notice if it was the last thing he did.

And if it brought some of his customers back, then so be it.

It was time to plan.

* * * * *

  
For the next week, Harry carefully observed Alchemy and its customers. Word had certainly gotten out about the delicious cupcakes. If Harry hadn’t known what the shop sold, he would have been concerned it was a brothel, what with the way the customers walked in looking almost guilty and emerged an hour later appearing delightfully sated. That, as well as the healthy wine selection, led a number of couples to find it an appropriate place for date night.

And, while Severus arrived at the shop roughly the same time Harry got to his each morning, presumably to begin baking in the kitchen, Kelly sat on the bench outside Alchemy to drink his morning tea.

So that morning Harry got to the shop extra early so he could finish his first batch of cupcakes by the time Kelly sauntered by with his tea. Once he saw him seated, one long leg crossed over the other, Harry waved goodbye to Margot and joined him.

“Hello,” he said. Kelly looked up, startled, but Harry sat down next to him. “Beautiful morning, isn’t it?”

Kelly’s eyes narrowed. “What is it you want, Potter?”

Harry shrugged. “I just couldn’t help but feel we got off on the wrong foot,” he said. “I think I was just a bit intimidated. I mean, it’s not very often such a handsome man sets foot in my shop.”

Harry knew immediately he had read Kelly correctly. He sat up a bit straighter and treated Harry to a Lockhart-worthy smile. “Well, I had to check out the competition, of course. Don’t take it personally.”

“None taken,” Harry said immediately. “Just a smart business move on your part.” He paused and fixed his expression to one of an appropriate amount of nervousness and curiosity. “Although I have to say, I’m a little confused about why Severus decided to open a cupcake shop right by one that’s been there for years. Don’t get me wrong,” he added with a bit of a laugh, “I realize you are stiff competition. But that’s a rather big risk to take when starting a business.”

“I told Severus he was a fool,” Kelly said, and took a long sip out of his tea. He took his time savouring the flavour before speaking again. “Severus had been travelling so much he didn’t realize where your shop was, and the realtor didn’t tell him till he had the papers in his hand.”

“Wow,” Harry said. “I bet Severus was furious.”

“He was, at first,” Kelly said. “I thought he would be casting an Unforgivable at any moment. But here’s the strange thing. As soon as he heard _you_ were the one who owned the shop, he quieted down. Just signed the papers and sent the realtor on his way.”

“Odd,” Harry said. But really, it was exciting. Severus had purposely chosen a shop that was right by Harry’s. That was pretty much the opposite of ignoring him – he was setting himself right in the line of fire, so to speak.

Of course, there was still the question of why Severus would purposely move in right by Harry and then not have anything to do with him, but Harry was fairly certain he wouldn’t be able to charm that information out of Kelly.

“Very odd,” Kelly agreed. He yawned. “I have to say, this schedule is creating havoc on my sleep schedule. I don’t know where Severus gets these ridiculous expectations. I need a full eight hours of sleep a night or I get bags under my eyes. Fortunately I have a day off soon. Wednesday can’t come soon enough.”

“Oh?” Harry asked. “Does Severus have any other workers?”

“No, it’s just the two of us,” Kelly said. “I thought it would be enjoyable at first. He does have that dark and dangerous look going on that I so enjoy. But he spends all his time measuring out flour down to the last miniscule speck. Absurd.”

Harry chuckled. While he still found it strange that Severus was baking and decorating cupcakes, he could see him being just that detail-oriented about his work. “He makes a great cupcake,” he said. “He’s always been meticulous about his work.”

“Well, we’ll see how long it lasts,” Kelly said, and drained the last of his tea. “I told him, this whole cupcake business is just a fad. Give it a year and people will have moved on to selling individual slices of pie. I told Severus he’d be better off starting an actual restaurant, or at the very least a bakery that was less specialized, but he refused to listen to reason.”

Harry laughed. “You sound like you don’t even like cupcakes.”

“I don’t,” Kelly said immediately. “All the calories and none of the satisfaction of a _real_ dessert. I only took this job because Gringotts finally took back my uncle’s house and my father is refusing to pay my rent.”

Harry didn’t have a chance to respond before he heard the door slam open.

“Kelly!” Severus barked. “I don’t pay you to flirt with the competition. Get inside and set up the shop.” Not even sparing a glance at Harry, he turned on his heel and stormed back into the shop.

Harry was proud of himself for waiting until Kelly had left before breaking into a huge grin.

* * * * *

  
On Wednesday, Harry kept a careful eye on Alchemy. Both his shop and Severus’s tended to empty out around four, when it was just slightly too close to supper hour to indulge in something sweet. Around that time, although not precisely on the dot as to avoid suspicion, he stepped outside.

“Just a gorgeous day,” he called back inside to Margot, just in case anybody outside was listening. She rolled her eyes and waved him on.

Although Alchemy’s windows were tinted, it appeared as though business had slowed significantly. When a man hurried out of the shop, a box wrapped in burgundy ribbon tucked under his arm, Harry pulled out his wand and took aim at the “Open for Your Pleasure” sign hanging on Alchemy’s door. He smirked as the letters jumped and morphed, changing their message. “Of course Severus would close the shop early for a staff party,” Harry snickered. Pocketing his wand and gathering his courage, he entered the shop.

Harry found Severus placing a tray of cupcakes underneath the glass display case. “Hello,” he said. “I was wondering if I might borrow a cup of sugar?”

Severus’s head shot up. When he saw it was Harry, his eyes narrowed and he turned back to the cupcakes. “I find it hard to believe that you of all people would be lacking in sugar.”

“Crazier things have happened, I’m sure,” Harry said. He surreptitiously cast a spell to lock the door behind him and moved closer to Severus. “But you’re right. I just wanted to talk.”

“I don’t believe we have anything to talk about,” Severus said. His tray was empty, but he was now arranging the cupcakes in the display as though the counter would explode if one cupcake were even a hair out of line.

“Sure we do,” Harry said. He moved even closer, until he was right in front of the display case, and leaned up against the counter. “I can think of plenty of things. The weather, current events, England’s chances for the Cup, whether you prefer Kneazles or Crups … but what I _really_ want to talk about is – ”

Severus slammed the door to the display case shut. “I have quite literally _zero_ interest in talking about my fortieth birthday, Potter,” Severus hissed.

“Harry,” he corrected. It was a good thing he had prepared himself for this possibility because, as it was, he still found it difficult to resist pumping a fist in the air in victory. Severus’s reaction was proof that Harry wasn’t entirely imagining what he felt that night. Severus might be acting entirely indifferent, but clearly the event was engrained in his memory as well. Sure, he was putting up a good fight, but Severus’s refusal to discuss it gave Harry enough hope to go off of.

“Harry,” Severus repeated, still agitated. “But there is no reason to belabour the point. It’s over and done with.”

Harry held up a hand. “Calm down. That’s not what I wanted to discuss anyway. I mean, as you said, there was hardly anything worth discussing. Unless I was missing something?”

For a second Harry was afraid he had gone too far. Severus almost seemed to curl in on himself, and his eyes burned into Harry’s. But a moment later he had regained his composure and looked Harry squarely in the eye, his expression disinterested. “Of course not,” he said smoothly. “I had only assumed since it was the last time we saw each other. What would you like to discuss?”

Harry smiled. “It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? We both run cupcake shops, and they’re a stone’s throw away from each other. You can’t tell me we have nothing to talk about.”

“I’m not selling,” Severus said immediately. “I’ve put too much into this venture to give it up just because it interferes with the Chosen One’s plans.”

“I’d never ask you to do that,” Harry said honestly. “I’ll admit at first I was rather peeved at having such direct competition, but I was thinking it might actually work out in both of our favours.”

Severus raised an eyebrow. “Rumour down at the pub is you were lamenting the decline in your sales.”

Harry filed that bit of information away for future use. Perhaps he could lure Severus down to the pub after a stressful day at their shops. Also, he’d have to make sure he wasn’t quite as chatty when he was drinking his butterbeer.

“That’s true,” he said. “But I’d be willing to wager you’re also not reaching your full sales potential. My business may have dropped, but I’m always busy and am still turning a significant profit.”

“Then I don’t understand why you’re here,” Severus said.

“I think we’ve hit on something big,” Harry said. “It would be so easy for us to just turn on each other. But think about it: what if we team up and capitalize on our rivalry with a little friendly competition?”

“What exactly are you getting at?” Severus asked.

“Two words: cupcake wars!” Harry exclaimed. “It’d be brilliant. Everybody is already talking and speculating about what’s going to happen with having two similar shops open so close to each other. Let’s do something about it.”

“And how exactly would this _cupcake war_ ,” Severus sounded as if it pained him to say the very words, “work?”

“I’m thinking a series of three challenges,” Harry said. “First one is simple. We advertise that we’re having a competition to see who can sell the most cupcakes. Really make it big and exciting. End of the day we see who sold the most. Simple, right?”

“Indeed,” Severus said.

“Then for the second challenge,” Harry continued, “I’m thinking we bring in the _Prophet_. Really play up the publicity angle. We’ll have a panel of judges and we have to both make the same type of cupcake, or use the same ingredients. Something where we can be easily compared. Then the panel judges. I’ve already pitched the idea to their food editor and she loves it.”

“Madam Coco?” Severus asked. “That could be interesting. And the third challenge?”

“Still working on that one, to be honest,” Harry said. “But I’m sure we can figure something out.”

“Typical,” Severus snorted. “Harry Potter comes up with a brilliant idea and only brings half the pieces to the table.”

“Well, it’s enough to get us started,” Harry said with a shrug. “So, what do you say? It’s good publicity for both of us, and we’ll likely both bring in new customers. I figured an entrepreneur like yourself would be interested.”

Severus hesitated. “This is strictly a business proposition?”

“Of course,” Harry said.

“And when were you thinking of having this war?”

“How about the week after next?” Harry suggested. “That will give us some time to advertise it and prepare.”

Severus sighed. “Very well.”

“Great,” Harry said with a broad grin. “Really, I think this will be brilliant.”

“Let’s hope,” Severus said. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have a shop to run.”

“Of course,” Harry said. He shook Severus’s hand. “Thanks for speaking with me.” He took out his wand and unlocked the door, grinning a bit at Severus’s flabbergasted expression. “Sorry about that. Just wanted to make sure we didn’t have any distractions. Enjoy the rest of your day!”

The curses and epithets Severus was throwing at his back as he walked out of the shop were music to his ears.

* * * * *

  
Word had spread quickly about the cupcake wars. On the day of the first challenge, both he and Margot arrived well before sunrise to begin baking batch after batch of their most popular cupcakes.

“I still think you’re mad,” Margot yawned. She took a tray of red velvet cupcakes out of the oven and set them down to cool. “I know I was the one telling you that you needed to get some closure with Severus, but do you really think a cupcake competition is the best way to go about that? Why can’t you just ask the man to drinks?”

“I will, but that’s stage two of the plan.” Harry began carefully placing toffee pecans into the cream cheese frosting topping the latest batch of carrot cake cupcakes. “You don’t know Severus. This is going to take time. But I have a plan.”

“And your ingenious plan is to prove you bake better cupcakes? I might not know the man, but knowing men in general, I feel that could end up rather poorly. Pride is a tricky thing.”

Harry shrugged. “The competition is just a way to open the door. It’ll be nice if we win, but that’s really not what I’m aiming for.”

“Well, perhaps it’s not what you’re aiming for, but if I’m up before the birds are even chirping, I want to win,” Margot said. “But go on. Tell me exactly how this plan is going to work out.”

“Severus would never talk to me about anything personal,” Harry said. “He’s stubborn. So I had to start with cupcakes. And if I know Severus, he’s competitive. It might be a friendly competition, but he’s going to want to put forth a good showing. Then as all the energy and adrenaline builds, his defences will go down and he’ll give in and reveal how he actually feels about me.”

Margot rolled her eyes. “I hate to tell you this, Harry, but it sounds like a lot of wishful thinking. Perhaps he’ll yell at you that your frosting will never compare to his, but do you really expect him to start professing his love for you?”

“Severus keeps his emotions close to the surface,” Harry said, setting aside the canister of pecans. “That hasn’t changed. I saw a hint of it when I went to talk to him about cupcake wars. I’m willing to bet the reason he’s been ignoring me is because he’s afraid he won’t be able to hold back.”

“That sure of yourself, are you?” Margot asked. “Chocolate mint truffles, you think?”

“Sounds good,” Harry said. He ignored her first question. He wasn’t sure of himself at all. It was a hunch. A pretty good hunch, he thought, and his hunches tended to be pretty accurate. But really, it was a risky bet. Even if Severus was still thinking about that day four years ago, it could have just been because he was embarrassed. Harry had no real reason to believe that Severus wanted a relationship, or even any interest in being with him. He just had hope and a knack for knowing how to combine butter and sugar.

“I hear Alchemy’s changing their menu for the day,” Margot said. “Something about extra special ingredients that would have customers lined up outside the door.”

“I bet that’s just Kelly talking out his arse,” Harry said. “Don’t worry about it. We have some really loyal customers. We’ll be fine.”

“I certainly hope so,” Margot said. “If Alchemy wins this, you’ll lose your shirt. And I mean that literally. I’m not above having you strip off to attract a few more customers.”

* * * * *

  
Harry heaved himself into a chair and sighed. “Should I lose the shirt?”

“You know, I was only joking about that earlier, but now I’m thinking it couldn’t hurt,” Margot said. She picked up a cupcake and peeled back its paper liner. “This is going to be hell on my figure if I have to eat all the cupcakes we didn’t sell.”

Harry Summoned a cupcake for himself and swiped a finger across the frosting. “I still can’t believe it. We didn’t do poorly, not at all. It’s just given how we slashed our prices so much, I would have thought people would have been buying them by the dozen.”

“Well, they don’t seem to be having that trouble across the street,” Margot said drily. “Look, it’s just after four and they _still_ have a line circling the shop. _And_ I heard they’re actually charging _more_ than they usually do. How do you think they managed that?”

Harry licked the frosting off his finger and frowned. It was true that he really wasn’t interested in the actual competition of this whole spectacle, but he couldn’t help but wonder. Alchemy’s cupcakes weren’t cheap to begin with, but the way people had been gathering, one would have thought they were giving them away for free instead of for a Galleon.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to go over soon and concede defeat,” Harry said. He took a bite out of his cupcake. “I hope Kelly isn’t too smug.”

“Take your shirt off,” Margot insisted. “I’m sure that will help.”

Harry was about to answer when he heard the door open. He quickly wiped his mouth and jumped up. “Mrs. Windermere! So good to see you again.”

Mrs. Windermere was one of their very best customers. She first started coming to The Cupcakery the first week it was open, and always made two trips to the shop each week – one on Wednesday to get a midweek treat for herself, and one on Sunday to pick up a dozen for her grandchildren. Harry was somewhat surprised to see her today, on a Friday, but he wasn’t about to object.

“And I’m glad to see you too, young man,” she said. “I have to say, that shop across the street is shameful. _Shameful_! I hope you win your little contest and put them out of business.”

Harry chuckled. “They’re not as bad as all that. This is just a little friendly competition.”

“Well, they’re disgraceful,” she said. “The flavours they were selling …”

“Like what?” Margot asked. “We were just talking about that.”

“Tasteless, vulgar things,” she said. “Called things like luck, wealth, truth, wrath.” She leaned in close and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, “There was even a _lust_ cupcake.”

“What?” Harry exclaimed. He was torn between gasping and laughing and ended up with an odd sort of coughing fit. “You can’t be serious. Do you think they were dousing the cupcakes with potions?”

“That’s cheating!” Margot said. “Harry, you can’t let them get away with this.”

“That’s exactly what I told the owner,” Mrs. Windermere said haughtily. “Nasty, contemptuous man. I told him I didn’t care for his unscrupulous business practices and it was unethical to sell cupcakes with magical properties.”

“And what did he say?” Harry asked.

“He said if I was so offended, I could take my business across the street. And I told him that’s just what I was going to do. So here I am.” She turned to Margot. “I’ll take four dozen cupcakes. I’ll get send them to my grandchildren. Their parents can sort out their sugar rush.”

Margot began to package her cupcakes. “You need to go talk to him, Harry,” she said. “That’s really not right.”

Harry nodded. He was going to talk to him all right, but probably not in the manner Margot and his best customer were hoping.

* * * * *

  
“We’re closed,” Kelly said when Harry attempted to enter Alchemy once the day had ended. “If you wanted a cupcake, you should have joined the queue with the rest of the Wizarding population of the United Kingdom.”

“I don’t want a cupcake, but thank you anyway,” Harry said, pushing past Kelly. “I just wanted to speak with Severus for a moment.”

“Typical Harry Potter, thinking the rules don’t apply to him. Didn’t you see the closed sign on the door?”

Harry smiled at Severus. Despite his words, there was no malice behind them. In fact, unless Harry was imagining it, there was a mischievous light gleaming in his eyes. “That’s me,” Harry said. “I just came by to admit defeat.”

Severus arched a brow. “You’re not here to lambaste me for lacing my cupcakes with potions in order to turn a higher profit? I’ll admit I’m surprised.”

Harry shrugged. “It’s my own fault for not establishing ground rules. You played to your strengths and it paid off. Could I buy you a victory drink?”

The humour left Severus’s face. “I’m not sure that would be wise,” he murmured.

“Come on, just one drink,” Harry cajoled. “We need to talk about the details for tomorrow’s competition anyway.”

“I suppose that couldn’t hurt,” Severus said with a frown, sounding very much like it _would_ hurt.

“I don’t bite,” Harry said with a grin. “Not unless you ask me too.” He nearly kicked himself when he saw the way Severus flushed. “Sorry. Just nervous.”

Severus nodded slowly. “One drink.”

“Great,” Harry said, relieved. “Any place in particular you’d like to go?”

“I’ll Apparate us,” Severus said. “There’s a pub the town over that I enjoy. Do you have Muggle money on you?”

“Of course,” Harry said.

“Lucky’s, again, Severus?” Kelly whinged. “I’m so tired of that place. There’s never anybody interesting there.”

The swirl of jealousy piercing Harry’s gut dissipated when Severus threw a rag at Kelly and snapped, “Then it’s a good thing you’re not invited. Clean this place up and be sure to lock the door when you’re done.” He took Harry’s arm, and a second later Harry felt the familiar tug of Disapparation.

Lucky’s was a small, cosy pub that looked as if it had been standing there for a century practically untouched. Severus led Harry to a booth towards the back, and a moment later they both had pints before them.

“I don’t understand why you hired Kelly,” Harry said as he took his first sip. “He’s a right prick and he doesn’t know a thing about baking.”

“I have no interest in design or dealing with the public more than I need to,” Severus replied. “Two areas in which he thrives. I’ll also admit to taking some pleasure in having Gilderoy Lockhart’s nephew catering to my demands.”

“I thought I saw a resemblance,” Harry said. “He’s very attractive.”

“Do you think so?” Severus asked.

“Well, he’s not my type, but I mean objectively speaking. Don’t you find him attractive?”

“He is also not my type,” Severus replied. “But I thought we came here to discuss cupcakes, not our taste in men.”

“You’re right,” Harry said. He ruffled his fingers through his hair. “I was thinking we should both try to make the same cupcake. The other option was having a couple of ingredients we had to use and come up with something spectacular, but I kind of like the first idea. Everybody knows we can both bake, so I just feel it makes for a more objective test.”

“It makes no difference to me,” Severus said. He took a long sip of ale. “Everybody knows a fool working without a recipe will never win.”

Harry chuckled. “We’ll let the judges determine that.”

“Hmm.” A slight smile played at Severus’s lips. “Have you come up with a third challenge yet?”

Harry shook his head. “No, but it’ll come to me. Just expect the unexpected.”

“By you planning the unexpected, doesn’t that give you an unfair advantage?” Severus asked.

“Come on, if you’re so certain you’re the superior baker, don’t you think I could stand to have a bit of an advantage?” Harry grinned at Severus, who flushed and looked away.

“Sarcasm does not become you,” Severus said into his drink.

“Who said I was being sarcastic?”

One drink became two, and two soon became three. Harry gave up all pretences and no longer tried to suppress the grin that was likely splitting his face. He felt warm and flushed all over, and it wasn’t just from the alcohol. Sitting in the secluded corner of Lucky’s, so close to Severus, that spark Harry thought he must have imagined reignited between them, Harry could almost believe he was back in Severus’s rooms at Hogwarts, seated in front of the fire. His entire body felt like the plucked string of a violin, vibrating and pulsing with energy and music contained within a particle no wider than a hair.

“I’ve noticed the _Prophet_ hasn’t been publishing many photos of you with your lovers,” Severus said. “Have you resorted to paying them off?”

“Hardly,” Harry snorted. “They’ve gotten bored with me. Didn’t you see the headline ‘St. Harry the Monk’? Hermione actually cut that one out to save.”

“An interesting turn of events,” Severus said. He downed the rest of his drink and gestured for the bartender to bring him another. “Harry Potter turned asexual.”

“I’m not asexual!” Harry protested. “I can be _very_ sexual.” Oh, that didn’t sound right. Severus was likely going to go all flushed again.

But Severus hadn’t turned red at all. If anything, his eyes got darker, and he was looking at Harry even more intensely than he had that night in January. “Is that so, Harry?” he asked. His voice was scarcely louder than a whisper, but it echoed inside of Harry’s head. “If you’re such a sexual being, why has the _Prophet_ deemed you to be so abstemious?”

“Perhaps it’s because there hasn’t been anybody to pique my interest lately,” Harry said. His heart was beating very fast. Somehow, throughout the evening, he had moved closer to Severus, and he was certain that he could hear it pounding in his chest.

“A pity,” Severus said. “All the men in England and not a one strikes your fancy.”

“One does,” Harry said, his voice raspy. He felt Severus’s hand on his thigh and grew hard instantly. “But he hasn’t been around until recently.”

“And what is this man like?” Severus asked. “This mystery lover.”

Harry swallowed. “Almost lover, more like. Or I like to think.”

“I like to think,” Severus repeated. Or was he affirming? His hand crept further up Harry’s thigh. “Go on.”

“The most incredible man I’ve ever known,” Harry said. “Brilliant and passionate, and I know whether he’s yelling at me or … or stroking my thigh that I’m the entire focus of his world.”

“Is he handsome?” Severus asked. His voice curled like smoke against Harry’s neck. “This almost lover of yours?”

“Not in the traditional sense,” Harry said. “But he’s dark and striking, and his eyes … when he stares …”

“Does he take your breath away?”

“Yes,” Harry tried to say, but his mouth was captured in a fierce kiss and swallowed the word.

It was a kiss four years in the making, and it was worth every heartbeat of wondering. Severus kissed the same way he looked at Harry – as if he were his entire world. Harry groaned and leaned up into his embrace, luxuriating in the way Severus’s lips pressed against his and the feel of his five-o’clock shadow rubbing against his cheek. Severus was hot and right and everything Harry could have wanted, and he was right in Harry’s arms.

“Severus,” Harry moaned.

Severus tore his lips away, ignoring Harry’s gasp of protest. His eyes, which had grown clouded and then heated throughout their time at the pub, were fully lucid now. A second later they shuttered, and Harry was left in the embrace of the same indifferent man who had been ignoring him for weeks.

“This was a mistake,” Severus said, and stood up. “Thank you for the drinks.”

“Severus,” Harry said, and grabbed his wrist. “Come on. It was just a kiss.”

Severus wrenched his arm away. “You’re right,” he snapped. “It was just a kiss.”

With that, he swept out of the pub.

Harry groaned and rested his head in his hands. With his luck, Severus would probably close up shop tomorrow and head somewhere across the continent. And it was all his fault, that he couldn’t hold his liquor and keep his tongue in his mouth.

Fuck ale. Fuck ale and kisses.

And fuck cupcakes.

* * * * *

  
Harry got very little sleep that night. There was the matter of his erection, of course, which ordinarily would have been fairly pleasant to sort out but this time was wholly unsatisfactory. Once he got to bed, he tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position or stop his brain from spinning long enough to go to sleep. And then once he finally _did_ lose consciousness, he dreamed of a certain ground-shaking kiss, which led to yet another erection in the morning and yet another lacklustre wank.

By the time he got to The Cupcakery, Margot, Kelly, the judging panel, and a small crowd were all set up and waiting for him. Of course, for Kelly being set up meant standing and looking haughtily over the shop, but at least he was there. The same couldn’t be said for his boss.

“Where have you been?” Margot whispered as Harry threw an apron on over his clothes. “You’re never late to work.”

“Overslept,” Harry said in a hushed tone. “Not that it matters. I have a feeling Severus is going to be a no show.”

“What? Why?”

“I might have kissed him,” Harry muttered. He busied himself straightening his whisks and spatulas.

“You did WHAT?” Margot asked, her voice escalating to a shout at the final word. Her face reddened at Harry’s glare. “Sorry,” she said, her voice returning to a whisper. “But what in the world were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t,” Harry said. “Clearly. And in my defence, he kissed me first. I just didn’t protest and didn’t stop him when he panicked and left.”

“I just can’t believe it.” Margot shook her head. “You who kept going on about your your strategy, how you had a plan … and then what do you do?”

“Call it a tactical error,” Harry said. He checked his watch. “Twenty minutes past. Think I should just tell the judges it’s off?”

“I don’t know,” Margot said. “That Madam Coco is a handful. I already had to kick her out of the pantry twice. I thought she was going to bake her own cupcakes if you didn’t turn up soon.”

Harry cast a wary eye over at Madam Coco and her colleagues. One was a well-known chef who occasionally wrote guest columns in the _Prophet_ , and the other was famous for her cookbooks. While Harry didn’t start this competition for the publicity, he certainly didn’t want bad press for calling off the second contest at last minute.

At that moment the front door swung open. Severus strode in, snapping a black apron as he went. Without looking at Harry, he tied the apron around his neck and looked at the judges.

“I’m ready to begin.”

“Excellent,” exclaimed Madam Coco, clapping her hands. “Now, we will keep this simple. You will each have one hour to bake three types of cupcakes. You will each get to choose one type of cupcake, and the panel will choose the last. Severus? What type of cupcake do you nominate?”

“Devil’s food,” Severus said shortly.

“Wonderful, wonderful,” Madam Coco said. “And you, Harry?”

Harry shrugged. He was still too much in shock to see Severus within arm’s reach of him to think about cupcakes. “Angel food, why not?”

“Ooh, I love it, I just _love_ it!” she squealed. “Now, the panel has decided to test you on a classic: a simple vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting. I assume that’s acceptable to you both.”

Harry nearly jumped at Madam Coco’s words. He looked over at Severus, curious to see his reaction, but he was only looking at the ingredients set out before him and tying back his hair. Harry sighed and turned back to his own ingredients. Really, he should just be grateful Severus was here. Hopefully once they got through this ridiculous charade he’d be able to talk to him and apologize for being an idiot.

“Remember, one hour,” Madam Coco said. “And you may begin … now!”

“Kelly, get out of here,” Severus snapped immediately. “Your strutting about is distracting and unnecessary.”

“Gladly,” Kelly said. “I still expect a cheque for today.” Without waiting for a response, he sashayed out of the shop.

“Well, now what?” Margot asked. “We haven’t made angel’s food in a while. We should probably do something really light to counterbalance the devil’s food.”

“Lemon,” Harry said immediately. “Just a hint.”

Margot nodded. “Standard devil’s food recipe?”

“No,” Harry said. His cock gave a slight twinge at the memory of Severus’s devil’s food cake. There was no way he could compete with that perfection, but he could play up the traditional cake with his own twist. “No, we can’t use that one. Let me play with the batter, but I’m thinking something with cinnamon … and coffee. Just to give it a little more depth.”

“Got it,” Margot said. “I’ll get a pot of coffee brewing. And the final one?”

Harry glanced over at Severus. “Leave that one to me.”

It was interesting watching Severus work in his kitchen. He looked just as at home amidst the mixing bowls and cupcake trays as he did in his dungeon stirring a cauldron filled with a bubbling potion. Every step, every action was measured and controlled. Harry knew that even when Severus decorated the cupcakes, not a single hundred-and-thousand would be out of place.

It was a total contrast to how he himself operated in the kitchen. He would take all the ingredients he wanted to work with out in front of him and then just throw into the mixing bowl what felt right. He had Margot to correct him if his proportion of sugar to baking soda was incorrect, but mostly he baked the same way he lived his life – by following his instincts.

Harry sighed. He hoped following his instincts worked out better for his cupcakes than it did his love life.

“Fifteen minutes!” Madam Coco called out.

“Frosting?” Margot asked. It was the first thing she had said to him the entire time they were baking. She seemed to sense his mood and gave him his distance.

“Vanilla buttercream for the devil’s food,” Harry said. “Dust it with cinnamon. Lemon frosting for the angel’s food. Make it really light and top it with a lemon slice.”

“And the vanilla with chocolate?” She met Harry’s eyes and reached out to rub his shoulder. “I know. I’ll just leave it to you.”

Harry nodded and got back to work. It wouldn’t take much. He didn’t care if it didn’t win him any contests. There was only one way to make this cupcake, as far as he was concerned. He wasn’t about to garnish it with some ridiculous flower or hundreds-and-thousands just to please the panel. It would make a mockery of the cupcake.

“Kind of plain, isn’t it?” Margot asked. “Can’t you at least put some chocolate shavings on top or something?”

Harry shook his head. “It’s perfect.”

“And time!” cried Madam Coco. “Bakers, please have a seat while the judges come to taste your creations.”

Harry chose a seat where he could get a good view of Severus’s creations. His devil’s food was the same as the kind Harry had sampled a few weeks ago; Harry had no doubt it tasted just as divine. The angel’s food cupcake was topped with a frosting that had a slight pink tint to it and adorned with fresh berries. But what caught Harry’s eyes was the vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting.

It was entirely plain and undecorated. Just like Harry’s. Just like …

“Delicious!” Madam Coco proclaimed. “My, my. The judges have a very difficult decision!”

Harry tried to catch Severus’s eye, but he was determinedly staring down at the table. Still, Harry could tell he was not quite as calm as he was presenting himself to be. Severus sat perfectly still, his back straight and his hands crossed in front of him, but the tension was practically rolling off of him in waves.

“We have come to a decision!” Madam Coco finally said. She whirled around and attempted to greet both Harry and Severus with a warm smile, but Severus still avoided eye contact. Undeterred, she continued. “Severus, your cupcakes were utter perfection. Truly a masterpiece. I challenge anybody who finds cupcakes to be unsophisticated or gauche to try one of yours. The devil’s food cupcake was …” She giggled, and when she spoke again, sounded somewhat breathless, “invigorating, and the frosting on the angel’s food cake was delightful. What ever did you flavour it with?”

“Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur and cranberry juice,” Severus said shortly.

“Ingenious!” she proclaimed. “A positive delight to the tongue.” She turned to Harry. “And Harry. Your cupcakes are absolutely delicious. They transport the lucky eater to another world, a simpler, more peaceful world where everyone lives in harmony. At risk of sounding cliché, each one of your cupcakes was so clearly baked with love, and it enriches each bite. They left us all yearning for more … particularly your vanilla cupcake, which, while simple, had almost a sadness to it, and yet a touch of hope. Rather remarkable for a cupcake.

“And so, after much careful, thoughtful deliberation, the judges of this esteemed panel determined that what makes the most successful cupcake is the one that has the power to lift moods. And for that reason, the winner of this challenge in the cupcake wars is The Cupcakery!”

Margot tugged Harry up and dragged him to the panel so he could shake the judges' hands to the crowd’s applause, but his attention was affixed solely on Severus. He had not visibly reacted to the judges’ decision; in fact, if Harry hadn’t known better, he would have wondered if Severus had even heard. But a moment later, before Harry had even shaken the final judge’s hand, Severus had silently stood up, removed his apron, and left the shop.

Harry couldn’t wait for the applause to end.

* * * * *

  
Harry had originally planned to conduct a normal day of business after the contest ended, but once the judges left, he asked Margot to finish up selling the cupcakes she had baked that morning and then close up. He had never taken a sick day since opening the shop, and only took a one-week break over the Christmas holidays, but somehow, just this morning with Severus was enough to do him in.

He retired to the small room hidden in the back of the shop. They kept a couch in there since theoretically it was a break room, but neither he nor Margot tended to spend longer than a couple of minutes back there. Today, however, he collapsed into it and held his head in his hands.

Harry was convinced, now more than ever, that Severus had feelings for him. And not just “that’s a nice bloke to kiss,” feelings, but actual … well, he couldn’t call them romantic, because this was Severus he was talking about, but fond? Yes, he could call them fond. Tender, even. He meant something to Severus. He could tell.

And Severus definitely meant something to him.

Harry sighed and leaned back into the couch. He still didn’t understand why Severus was pushing him away. He had some ideas, of course. Severus was likely riddled with insecurities and guilt, and possibly felt Harry wouldn’t want to be with somebody who was twenty years his senior. But Harry thought he had made it rather clear he was interested. Why did the man have to make things so difficult and be so bloody stubborn all the time?

At least that answer was obvious. He was Severus fucking Snape, of course.

Well, two could play at that game. Harry could out-stubborn the best of them, and he wasn’t about to let Severus get away for a second time. The cupcake war had been a good start, but now Harry had to do something to get Severus to realize he was serious about _him_ , and not just cake batter and frosting.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Harry Apparated into Alchemy.

Severus was sitting alone at a table, a glass of red wine in front of him. He barely glanced up at Harry. “I won’t even ask how you managed to get in here with the locked doors and anti-Apparation wards. I realize the rules don’t tend to apply to Harry Potter.”

“If you want me to leave, I will,” Harry said. “Just say the word and I’m out the door.”

Severus steepled his fingers in front of his face. Strands of hair had escaped from his ponytail, partially obscuring his expression. Harry wanted so badly to feel those strands between his fingers. Instead he stood and waited.

“Why did you come here, Harry?” Severus finally asked. His voice sounded as weary as Harry had felt earlier.

Harry pulled up the chair opposite Severus. “I just wanted to talk.”

“Talk,” Severus spat.

“Yes, talk,” Harry said firmly. He reached across the table and grabbed one of Severus’s hands. Much to his surprise, he didn’t pull away. Rather, he seemed fascinated by the sight of Harry’s fingers entwined with his.

“And what is it you want to talk about?” Severus asked.

“Us,” Harry said immediately.

“There is no us,” Severus said, but it was entirely without rancour.

“There could be,” Harry replied. “And there could have been. Will you deny that?”

Severus looked up and met Harry’s eyes for the first time since he got there. “If I say yes, will you go away?”

“I told you all you had to say was you wanted me to leave and I would,” Harry reminded him.

Severus sighed and looked back down at their hands. “I’m selling Alchemy,” he said.

“What?” Harry exclaimed. Startled, he had begun to pull away, but Severus kept enough of a hold on his hand to make that impossible. “You can’t. Is this because of me?”

“Not everything is because of you,” Severus said. “This is because of _me_. I underestimated what an undertaking this venture would be. I find myself … ill-equipped.”

Harry worried his lip. “Is this really what you want?” he asked. He didn’t clarify his question. He was certain both he and Severus knew that Severus was not simply talking about giving up on his shop. There was no need to make it more obvious and painful than it needed to be.

“It doesn’t matter what I want,” Severus answered after a long silence.

“Of course it does!” Harry said. “Severus, you deserve to be happy.”

Severus snorted and yanked his hand away. “It’s so easy for you to say. The sun sees where you tread and decides to shine a path to light your way. Your happiness is at your fingertips.”

“Well, it was up until a second ago,” Harry muttered, looking pointedly at Severus’s hand.

“You don’t mean that,” Severus said. “Or even if you did now, a year from now, perhaps even a month? You’d be embarrassed to have ever suggested it.”

“Four years!” Harry exclaimed. “Four years I’ve carried these feelings for you, and you still think it’s just a passing phase?”

“It’s one thing to idealize somebody who isn’t even there, and quite another to actually be in a relationship with him,” Severus said. “But it is a completely normal phenomenon for young men of your age.”

“And you?” Harry challenged. “I’ll wager you’ve carried those feelings for four years as well. What’s your excuse?”

“I have none,” Severus said, and stood. “But I’ve also held on to these feelings for longer than four years.”

“This is so bloody stupid!” Harry slammed his hands on the table and stood up as well. “You don’t need to do this. Are you that much of a masochist that you would deny yourself something you want when it’s right within your grasp?”

“No,” Severus said. “I’m not. And that’s why I’m selling the shop.”

Harry heaved a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. He could feel Severus slipping away from him already and he knew if he didn’t come up with something brilliant soon he would have lost his second, and most likely final, chance. A thought occurred to him. “We still have the last challenge.”

Severus stared at him incredulously. “What are you on about? You can’t possibly be thinking of continuing that ridiculous charade.”

“We shook on it,” Harry insisted. “Three challenges. We’ve only done two.”

“You don’t even have a final one planned,” Severus scoffed.

“No, but I will. Tomorrow evening, at seven. Meet me at The Cupcakery.”

“You’re closed on Sundays,” Severus said. “What publicity would that offer? Are you planning on opening it an extra day?”

“No,” Harry said. “And who said all the challenges had to do with publicity? Consider this more of a … personal challenge.” When Severus didn’t say anything, he added, “Please? Just one more. And I promise, if you want to leave as soon as you get there, you can. Just show up.”

Severus nodded. “This won’t change anything,” he warned.

“Just show up,” Harry said. “That’s all I ask.”

“I’ll be there,” Severus said.

Harry smiled and, before Severus could object, leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you. You won’t regret it.”

Harry would see to that. There were already enough regrets spread out between the two of them. He’d be damned if any more were added to the pile.

* * * * *

  
Of course, now Harry had to come up with something a little more concrete than “keep talking until Severus agrees we should be together.” He had gotten as far as he could with words, at least for now. Hopefully one day, after Harry was able to prove to him through his actions how he felt, Severus would actually listen to him when he tried to convey how he was feeling. But for now, he just had to get his foot in the door so he even had a chance of doing all of that in the future.

It was a little mad, Harry realized. This was a man who loved his mother and hated him for years. Even once Harry learned that Severus was not a murderous traitor, they had never been especially close. There was mutual respect, to be sure, and they didn’t avoid each other when their paths crossed.

That was the only reason that day when Harry stopped by Hogwarts for lunch with Minerva that he had stopped for a few minutes to talk to Severus, who was just completing a short stint substituting for a professor out on maternity leave and was taking a reprieve from the students by taking brisk walk outside.

It was snowing and Harry had been planning on running some errands that afternoon, so he hadn’t meant to get into a long conversation. He was only going to say hello and ask Severus what his plans were once he left Hogwarts again. He didn’t anticipate Severus saying he had a Portkey ready to take him to Portugal to begin a tour of collecting rare potions ingredients, and he certainly didn’t expect Severus to be interested in his stories about his trip to Lisbon the previous year. He didn’t think that conversation would linger on, so long that their fingers turned blue and their teeth were chattering.

Once they came back to their senses and realized the weather was not conducive to carrying on a conversation outside, Harry hadn’t expected Severus to invite him to his quarters to warm up by the fire. And then he didn’t expect to stay for as long as he did, until well past the supper hour, talking about everything under the sun – food, music, politics, Hogwarts, Dumbledore, his mother, dying …

He didn’t expect Severus to tell him it was his birthday, admitting it like it was a dark, shameful secret.

And when he rushed back home to get Severus a quick present to celebrate the occasion, just a simple cupcake he had baked on a whim the day before, he didn’t expect to return to that look of wonder in Severus’s eyes. And he didn’t expect Severus to break out a bottle of amaretto, apologizing for its contents while explaining it was the only liquor he had not yet packed.

Harry hadn’t expected any of those things to happen. Unfortunately, the only thing that he _could_ have expected – that, when being so close to Severus and feeling so warm and safe and _alive_ that he would be a coward and pull away, letting the moment pass them by – _had_ happened.

And he had spent the next four years regretting it.

Harry shook his head, stirring himself from the memory. He’d never be able to get back those four years, and he was sure a part of him would always wonder what would have happened had he not panicked. He had to move forward if he wanted any chance with Severus for the future. There was no sense in reliving that memory over and over.

He paused.

Unless, of course, there was.

* * * * *

  
Severus arrived at the shop promptly at seven. Much to Harry’s surprise, he was back in his old black robes instead of the plain trousers and shirt he favoured while working at Alchemy. Harry had come to enjoy those trousers and the way they caressed Severus’s arse, but seeing him back in his familiar robes was awe-inspiring, to say the least. No matter what he wore, Severus commanded attention, but somehow, when he was in his robes, he seemed like the most powerful wizard Harry knew.

“Well,” Severus said as he walked into The Cupcakery. “What’s the challenge? And what’s that chill?”

“You don’t waste any time, do you?” Harry asked. He shut the door and added a few extra locking charms just to be safe. “But go on. I’m sure you can figure it out.”

Even before turning around, he could tell exactly when Severus noticed the scene. Severus radiated movement and energy, but at that moment, he was entirely still. Harry smiled and placed a gentle hand on Severus’s shoulder, careful not to startle him. “Do you like it?”

It was a simple set up, only two glasses of amaretto and a plain vanilla cupcake with chocolate frosting placed between them. Besides a bit of cleaning, Harry hadn’t done any other decorating to The Cupcakery. Its cosy décor established just the mood he wanted – at that moment it wasn’t a bakery or an overly romantic restaurant. It was a home, an intimate scene before the fire.

It was a scene Harry had relived time and time again, and hoped he’d be able to experience many more nights in the future.

Severus shook his head. “Harry,” he said quietly. “This is not –”

“Hush,” Harry said. He wanted nothing more than to embrace Severus, but he also didn’t want to take his eyes away from the scene in front of him, so he settled on wrapping his arms around his waist and tucking his head into the crook of his neck. “I just want you to enjoy this. Don’t think about anything that happened in the past. Won’t you just sit down and enjoy a cupcake?”

“There’s only one,” Severus said.

“Well, since I invited you here, naturally you should have it.” Reluctantly, Harry stepped away from Severus and picked up the cupcake. “Go on,” Harry said, holding it up to Severus.

Severus’s eyes met Harry's. Slowly, deliberately, he took a bite of the cupcake. Harry watched as his tongue darted out to lick the frosting on the top and his Adam’s apple worked as he swallowed the cake. Harry held his breath, afraid that Severus would blow away and vanish into the night if he even exhaled.

“Delicious,” Severus said.

“Do you want a drink?” Harry asked. “I’m sorry I only have amaretto. We don’t tend to keep a lot of liquor here.”

Severus shook his head. Instead he took another bite of the cupcake. There was only a small piece left in Harry’s hand.

“What is the last challenge?” Severus asked in a hushed tone.

“I told you it was a personal one,” Harry replied, his voice equally low. “I wanted to bake a cupcake you would love. And I didn’t want to miss the moment again. I had to make very sure.”

Severus ate the last of the cupcake out of Harry’s hand. As he drew the sweet into his mouth, he sucked in one of Harry’s fingers as well, carefully licking it clean of any crumbs or frosting. “And are you sure?” Severus asked, releasing Harry’s finger with a slight _pop_.

“More than anything in my life,” Harry said. He smiled and pressed his finger against Severus’s lips. “You have a bit of frosting there.”

Severus closed his eyes. “Harry,” he breathed.

This was it. Harry had felt this same energy and tension before. It was so overwhelming then that he had panicked, unsure of how to handle it. The idea of wanting Severus Snape was so new and foreign and came on so suddenly that he had scarcely recognized himself or his desires. But now there was no question. Everything he wanted was within his grasp, and it was up to him to take it.

Not waiting another second, he pulled Severus’s head down and brought his lips to his own.

Severus tasted of sugar and chocolate and dreams. Harry moaned as he felt Severus wrap his arms around his waist and pull him flush against his body. He had never felt so close to another person, and yet it still wasn’t enough. He clung closer to Severus still, and it was only when he felt the unmistakable bulge in Severus’s robes that he realized he was thrusting his own erection against him.

“Harry,” Severus groaned. Having torn his mouth away from Harry’s lips, he was now peppering kisses up and down his neck. “This … you …”

“Finally,” Harry said.

“Yes,” Severus agreed. By now his hands exploring underneath Harry’s shirt. “Dreamed about this. Ever since …”

“Did you?” Harry gasped. “What happens next?”

Severus tugged Harry’s shirt over his head. “I finally get a taste of these,” Severus said, twirling his tongue around one of Harry’s nipples.

Harry felt his knees buckle. Before he could embarrass himself further, he pulled Severus towards the fire and tugged him down to the floor. In a fit of optimism, he had cast a cushioning charm on the floor there earlier. He was glad to see his gamble pay off.

Severus straddled him and continued working Harry’s nipples, slowly making his way down Harry’s torso. When he reached Harry’s trousers, Severus looked up at him, the tilt of his head silently asking for his permission to continue.

“Only if you remove your robes as well,” Harry said. “I want to feel you.”

“Harry, I’m not much to look at,” Severus said. “You’ll likely enjoy this more if I remain clothed.”

“Severus, I’ve waited four years for this,” Harry said. “I want you. _All_ of you. So if you think for one minute our first time I’m going to be cheated out of seeing you, you are sadly mistaken.”

Severus frowned, but a moment later the buttons of his robes popped out of their holes and his robes fell in a puddle behind him.

Harry laughed. “Quite the display of magic there. I take it you use that spell often?”

“Only when I’m in a hurry,” Severus said, and began unfastening Harry’s trousers. “And I believe four years of waiting for this gives me the right to do so.”

“I’d say,” Harry replied, gasping a bit when Severus tugged down his trousers and briefs. “You look incredible.”

“You’re blind, but I’m no fool,” Severus said. “If you’re willing to ignore my appearance, who am I to pass it up?”

“Not ignoring it at all,” Harry said. He pulled Severus down and captured his mouth in a long kiss. “I can’t get enough of you, Severus. And one day you’ll believe me.”

“One day, perhaps” Severus conceded. “But for now, allow me to enjoy this.” With that, he took Harry’s cock into his mouth.

It took all of Harry’s willpower not to come immediately. As it was, he was desperate for something to cling to, but, finding nothing, settled for clenching his fists as he attempted to control the movement of his hips. Seeing Severus lick and tease his cock, working his balls with his hands all while looking up at Harry, was the most erotic thing he had ever seen in his life. He was certain that this sight would fuel his wanking fantasies for years to come.

“Severus, stop,” he gasped. “Too close. And I want you in me when I come.”

Severus stopped sucking but didn’t remove his hand from Harry’s prick. He stroked it idly, as if he couldn’t quite bring himself to stop. “Harry, I’m not one for flings. If you think this is moving too quickly, I’d greatly prefer we stop now.”

Harry would have laughed if he wasn’t so painfully hard. “Severus, has the part about wanting you for four years escaped your memory? This is going to be the first of many, many times. I don’t plan on letting you go until the day you decide you’re sick and tired of me. And even then, you better expect me to put up a fight.”

Severus smiled. It made him look years younger. “I would be disappointed if you didn’t.”

Harry stretched and managed to find the small vial of lubricant he had tucked away by the fireplace. Severus took it from him with a soft chuckle.

“A cushioning charm and lubricant at the ready? You were really that sure of yourself?”

“That hopeful,” Harry said. He leaned up and pressed his lips to Severus’s. “Now come on and fuck me.”

It had been a while since Harry had had sex. He too was not one for flings, and very few of his dates over the past few years had progressed to anything even remotely serious. But, he realized as Severus slowly began stretching and preparing him with his fingers, in a way it was always Severus. No other man he had ever been with could hold a candle to Severus, and none of them ignited this fire within him like Severus could by just looking at him.

“Ready?” Severus finally asked.

Harry nodded. “Please.”

The tip of Severus’s cock breached his entrance and Harry moaned. Having Severus inside him was like replacing a piece of himself he didn’t realize was missing. He reached for any part of Severus he could touch or kiss. He had never felt so alive as when Severus was thrusting in and out of him. All of his senses were exploding – he couldn’t get enough of the feel of Severus’s bollocks slapping against his arse, the taste of Severus’s kiss, the scent of cupcakes and pre-come and Severus … he felt dizzy from it all.

Severus, for his part, appeared to be holding back. His skin shone with perspiration and his arms were trembling as he fought to keep control. That would never do.

“Come on, Severus,” Harry panted. “Fuck me. I want to feel it.”

Severus groaned. “Harry.”

Harry deliberately clenched his cheeks. At Severus’s gasp and the sudden thrust of his hips, he grinned. “Do it.”

“Merlin, Harry!” Severus grunted, but the speed of his movement grew significantly quicker.

“Yes, Severus, fuck me,” Harry said, now fisting his cock. “Oh God, I’m so close.”

“Come for me,” Severus said, still pounding in and out of Harry’s arse. “I want to see your face when you come with my cock inside of you.”

“Yes! Severus!” Harry shouted. He felt his bollocks tighten and a second later he came with a hoarse cry. Severus pounded into him a few more times, his thrusts even more forceful and erratic, and then he joined Harry in climax.

They lay together for a long while, simply catching their breath and enjoying the feeling of being in each other’s arms. It was only when the sweat on their skin had started to cool and become uncomfortable that Severus cast a cleaning spell over the two of them. And yet, they still didn’t move.

“Shagging in front of the fire in the middle of spring,” Severus murmured. “You really do have a way of making a grand gesture.”

Harry chuckled. “Now you know why I put a cooling charm on the shop beforehand.”

“Hmm.” Severus wrapped his arms around Harry and pressed his lips against his bicep. “I have to admit I’m rather surprised you didn’t recreate the entire scene, right down to a snowy walk outside.”

“I thought about it,” Harry admitted. “But I thought that might be a bit showy. And I kind of wanted to keep this private, and that would be a bit difficult to do if suddenly there was snow all over town. I did frost the windows a bit though.”

Severus laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that Harry already loved. “I’m glad to see you’ve learned some practicality over the years.”

“Only some,” Harry said. He paused. While the evening had gone extraordinarily well, it hadn’t happened quite as he had planned. He had thoroughly expected to have to convince Severus to give him a chance and had never thought Severus would be so easily won over by recreating that night four years ago. And while a part of him thought it was foolish to risk spoiling the moment, he owed it to Severus and to their relationship to make sure they were aligned in their feelings. “Severus, all of this … it’s okay, isn’t it? You’re not just humouring me?”

Severus let out a bark of laughter. “Harry, when have you ever known me to _humour_ anyone?”

“Point,” Harry admitted. “But I just want to be absolutely certain that this is something you want to do. I mean, you put me off for so long I was convinced I had imagined the whole evening.”

Severus reached for Harry’s hand and entwined their fingers together. “Harry, the first time I saw you after I was finally released from St. Mungo’s, I thought you were an incredibly attractive man, and the admittedly limited interactions we had over the years made me … amenable to the idea of pursuing some sort of relationship, if, by some stroke of Merlin, you decided you were interested in me. That birthday …” He paused and clenched Harry’s hand tightly. “At risk of sounding maudlin, that birthday was the most special day of my life. I had woken up dreading the day, as I do all my birthdays, thinking it was just one more day to mark the failure of another year. But with you, the day flew. And the cupcake? Small token that it was, it was the first birthday present I had received in years that wasn’t sent out of obligation or fear. Such a spontaneous, earnest desire to bring happiness and celebrate my birthday touched me in a way I didn’t think possible. It proved impossible to forget.”

“And that’s why you opened a cupcake shop?” Harry asked.

“Opening a cupcake shop was a way to keep that happy memory alive and close to me, yes,” Severus admitted. “When I learned your shop was so close by, I was convinced momentarily that it was fate. The coincidence was simply far too great.”

“But you ignored me,” Harry reminded him.

“I did,” Severus said. “I find it interesting that through all of this, you shouldered the blame for the missed opportunity years ago, when in fact I was just as guilty of cowardice. But mine was the worse sort, for I let it get the better of me years later as well. The moment you walked into Alchemy, I gave up all hope of somebody such as yourself ever being interested in me. And so I hid.”

“Never a coward,” Harry said. He kissed Severus hard as a reminder. “Never.”

“Hmph,” Severus said. “Well, I have to admit that, for once, I am grateful for your temerity. I’m certain that, had you not been quite so determined, this never would have happened.”

“It would have,” Harry said confidently. “Just might have taken longer. We both might have been old and wrinkly.”

“Perhaps,” Severus said with a slight chuckle. He pressed a kiss to Harry’s cheek. “Thank you for allowing me to relive that evening. It has long been one of my greatest regrets. To be given a second chance to make it right …” His voice broke off.

“For me as well,” Harry said softly. He kissed Severus, intending it to only be a quick sign of comfort and affection, but it turned into a long, languid kiss that had his prick twitching with interest.

Severus smirked. “Up for another round, I see.”

“With you? Always,” Harry replied. “You know, I have some leftover chocolate frosting back there and I have a few ideas about what we could do with it. That is, of course, if you don’t have any of your own you’d like to try first.”

The sudden glint in Severus’s eyes told Harry there would be no shortage of ideas of how to use the remaining frosting that night.

And in that case, it was best to get to work.

* * * * *

  
“Merlin, did the two of you even leave last night?” Margot asked as she walked into The Cupcakery. “I swear that’s exactly the position I left you in last night.”

Harry laughed and attempted to move himself out of Severus’s embrace, but Severus held firm. Margot did have a point. They had offered to clean up the other night so Margot could go home early. The fact that they needed to be the ones to clean up because Severus had a smear of strawberry frosting on his cheek, and Harry’s usual manner of helping him clean himself up involved very little clothes, and surprisingly more frosting, would likely make even Margot blush. It wasn’t his fault frosting just tasted better being licked off Severus’s skin.

“Morning, Margot,” Harry said, contentedly resigning himself to being wrapped in Severus’s arms for a little while longer. “We already have the first ten batches done.”

“Great. Eloise is coming in at noon, correct?”

Harry nodded. It was astounding how many ways his life had changed since that night. Firstly, now when he thought of the phrase “that night,” he remembered the evening he and Severus finally affirmed their feelings for each other and made love before the fire, and not the night four years ago that was filled with hope and excitement but tainted with regret and lost opportunities. That alone was enough to buoy Harry’s spirits tremendously.

The second was that Severus began working with him at The Cupcakery and sold Alchemy to Kelly’s mother, Glinda Kelly nee Lockhart, who wanted nothing more than for her ickle baby Landon to have a chance to shine. Kelly frequently strode into The Cupcakery boasting of the exquisite cuisine he’d be serving, but given that he hadn’t yet hired a chef or wait staff and didn’t like to do any actual labour, Harry was going to hold off on making any reservations.

It hadn’t taken long with Severus on staff for Harry to realize he needed some extra help. It was one thing when he was single and spent all his time baking cupcakes, but it was quite another when Severus was just an arm’s length away and just begging to be touched. This new relationship was special, and he wanted to take some time to really get to know his lover, and he couldn’t do that if the two of them were running themselves ragged managing a popular shop with only one other helper.

And so, in a long overdue move, he hired seven additional staff to help out, both in the kitchen and in the storefront. He’d been worried because he did genuinely love baking cupcakes and running his shop, and he was afraid that with more employees The Cupcakery would lose its intimate atmosphere.

Really, he should have known better.

Because the whole reason he began baking cupcakes regularly was in honour of Severus, and now the man was working beside him. Somehow, Harry had been lucky enough to combine the two greatest loves of his life, and he couldn’t be happier. What’s more, The Cupcakery seemed to somehow absorb all that warmth and was more popular than ever.

“Oh, and don’t forget the _Prophet_ is stopping by today. They want to do a feature on how we won cupcake wars.” Margot glanced apologetically at Severus. “Sorry, but they seem to view you closing Alchemy as a forfeit.”

“No offense taken at all,” Severus said. In a voice low enough for only Harry to hear, he added, “I would say I emerged the victor in this war.”

Harry brushed his lips against Severus’s. “Why don’t we consider it a draw?”

“I believe I would be amenable to that.” Severus said. “Shall we discuss the terms of the treaty?”

“A lifetime of amaretto, cupcakes, and you?” Harry proposed.

Severus flashed Harry a smouldering look. “Acceptable. But perhaps a more _practical_ negotiation is in order.”

Harry pressed one last quick kiss to Severus’s lips before going about setting out the day’s cupcakes. “Later,” he promised. “As soon as Eloise gets here.”

As had become the norm the last few weeks, Harry couldn’t keep a smile off his face as he worked. Who would have thought something as ridiculous as a cupcake war would bring him so much happiness? It was the sweetest victory Harry could have dreamed of, and fortunately, now he had a lifetime with Severus to enjoy reaping the rewards.

-The End-

  
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